The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-07-16
100000 CONE.
Great Fire In the Largest Ship Yard
In Bath.
Three Vessels Burned to Ashes on
the Stocks.
Malne's Most Ancient Industry Grip
pied.
Especial to the Press.l

and business portion of Bath from threaten
cd destruction; but in the short space of two
hours a most disastrous blow was inflicted
on the greatest and almost sole industry of
the city. A spark in the oal1um loft of the
New England Shipbuilding Company's yard
started confagration that wiped out nearly
one hundred thousand dollars worth Of
property in spite of all that the large crews
of workmen and the fire departments of
Bath and Brunswick could do. For build
ing wooden vessels this yard is the largest in
the world. About half of the vessels
launched in Maine in the last year or two
have been built by the New England Ship
building Company; and, as everyone knows.
Maine builds most Of the wooden
ships that sail on the seas. Before
the fire started today, the scene in
the yard was one such as could not,
1t is safe to say, have been witnessed any
where else in the United States, very likely
nowhere else in the world. On the marine
railway, at the north end of the yard, was
the large barkentine w. II. Dietz, undergo
ing repairs. just south of the marine rail-
way, standing on the stocks and rapidly ap-
preaching its launching time, was the hull of
a four-masted schooner, for the building of
which the company was under contract to
Capt. William Anderson of Long Island.
Next below this was the hull of another
four-master, being built for Capt. Bailey,
of New Jersey. 1t was not so near
completion as the first, but the tim
timbers were all in place, and the huge skel-
eton showed the form and strength of the
future vessel. Still further south was a new
tow boat, the Cocheco; built for C. II.
Trickey of Dover, N. H., and ready for
launching; and then another large schooner.
uncompleted, but with its timbers already
for the planking. Lying about the yard, in
places convenient for the workmen, were
piles of oak, hard pine and hackmatack tim
Der, such as are no longer yielded by the
forests of Maine, but are brought at great
expense from the South and West. In the
midst of it all were scores of busy men,
ship carpenters, smiths, joiners-the best
that are left of the shipbuilders of America.
1t was about eleven o'clock in the fore
noon that fire was discovered in the oakum
loft. Immediately it was all ablaze. Flying
about like so much tinder, the oakum spread
the fire wide over the yard, igniting the dry
chips in many places at once. The wind,
the dryness of everything about the yard,
and the difficulty of getting the engines to
work aided the fire. 1t took too much time
to find places on the wharves for the steam
ers to get water; and the facilities of the
yard for fighting fire do not seem to have
been extensive. So rapid was the spread of
the flames that the whole north end of the
city was threatened. Dispatches for help
were sent to Brunswick, Lewiston and Port
land. Brunswick sent two hand tubs. Lew
iston sent an engine as far as Crowley's
Junction, but recalled it on learning that
the fire was under control. Portland had an
engine ready, but it was not needed.
1t was about o'clock when the fire was
controlled, although all this afternoon the
flames have been rising from the ruins of the
greater part of the property in the yard.
The large four-masted schooner building
for Captain William Anderson of New York,
and others, was entirely destroyed. When
completed she would have been worth about
$4,000. AS she stood today the loss is esti-
mated at $4,000.
The tug Cocheco, building for C. H.
Trickey of Dover, N. H., and ready for
launching, was entirely destroyed. The loss
is about $500. AS the machinery had not
been put in the loss is considerably below
the value of tug.
The four-masted schooner under way for
Captain Bailey is also total loss. Its value
is estimated at $4,000.
A large amount of hard pine. oak and
hackmatadk, and decking timber was
burned. Most Of this came from distant
places, and was very costly. The amount
consumed today is valued at SsO.OCO.
The offices, storehouse, tool house, paint
shop, stables oakum shop and blacksmith
shop, with their contents were ruined. The
buildings were worth 5000, and their con
tents $50c0 more.
A very good dwelling house owned by tn
company is total loss. Its value was $1,000
and the furniture another $1,000.
The barkentine on the marine railway was
damaged about $1,000.
So the total loss is about:
Anderson schooner $50, 900
Bailey schooner. ......................-... 10000
offces r stcrebousss tools ....... ioo0o ioo0o
Dwelling and furniture. re................... 1000
Damage to brigantine Dietz. 1000
s9s,ooo
There is probably very little insurance on
any of this property. The officers of the
company are unable to state tonight that
there is any to amount to anything. 1t is
said, however that the men for whom ves-
sells are being built often advance money as
the work goes on. In such cases the insIr-
ance would be put on by the purchasers. 1t
is thought here that there may be, perhaps,
as much as $685. COO in insurance of this sort.
But the fact that it has been very rare oc-
currence for vessel to be burned on the
stocks in Maine, has not tended to encourage
insurance of this sort. No vessel has been
burned in Bath in this way before, within
the memory Of the business men of the pres
ent. But one or two have been burned in
Maine.
Bad as is the disaster, it might have been
much worse. The large srhooner being built
for Capt. Randall was saved by the great ex-
ertions Of five hundred men with pals, and
by the stream thrown by the steam pump of
the Boothbay steamer, the Sassanoa. Two
large saw mills, where the woodworking is
done, the galvanizing shop and the marine
railway, with the barkentine, were saved
largely by the exertions of the Bath fire de-
partment, aided by the two hand engines
from Brunswick. The iron works, with
their valuable machinery, are in another
part of the city. Bath has three steamers
and very geod fire department, it is said,
but various causes conspired to delay it to-
day. For one thing the horses were at work
in the streets, when the alarm was sounded.
One Of the most important considerations
arising from the fire is its result upon the fu-
ture of the shipbuilding industry in Maine.
The New England Shipbuilding Company
was organized about three years ago. Its
capital stock is $685., 200, and much of it is
held in and about Bath. G. G. Goss is pres
ident, and l. s. Coombs treasurer. Its direct
ors are well knewn men: Arthur Sewall.
Gen. T. w. Hyde, Col. S. D. Bailey, H. w.
Swanton, Galen @. Moses of Bath, and
Charles E. Moody of Boston. There are
several other shipbullding yards in Bath,
owned by Deering Is Donnell, Chapman q
Flint, Rogers & Moses; but the New Eng
land Company have done the greater part of
the business, building from a quarter to
half of all the vessels built in